Good morning, and thank you for inviting me to be your speaker today. I have to say at the outset that the subject matter I’m covering today is very difficult for me to talk about as I’m sure it’s difficult for a lot of you to hear. I know that so many women have traveled a path similar to mine, and I’m here today to shed some light on the need for greater understanding of the challenges many women face in achieving what should be the easiest and most natural thing we’ll ever do. For many of us, myself included, there is nothing easy or natural about having a baby.

I’ve had a lot of titles in my life—Samantha, Sam, Ms. Holland, Lieutenant Holland, Mrs. Cappuano, Second Lady. But only recently did I have the most important of all titles bestowed upon me—Mom. I am mom to my son, Scotty, the thirteen-year-old Vice President Cappuano and I adopted earlier this year. Scotty had spent the last seven years, since his mother and grandfather died months apart, as a ward of the Commonwealth of Virginia. My husband met Scotty on a campaign stop at the home where he lived, and their bond was instantaneous. It took a while for the three of us to realize we were slowly but surely becoming a family. Last summer, Scotty took a tremendous leap of faith by leaving his longtime home to come live with us. His adoption was finalized in December, and we’re delighted to be his parents. Being Scotty’s mom is the greatest joy of my life.

My journey to motherhood was long and perilous, filled with more lows than highs. The first time I became pregnant—accidentally—as a college student, I still believed that it was a matter of when not if I’d have a baby. I wasn’t ready to be a mother then and went to a clinic intending to end that pregnancy. I look back at that decision now with the wisdom and hindsight of maturity and wonder how I ever could’ve been so cavalier with something so precious. My husband and I support a woman’s right to choose and the rights of all women to control their bodies and their fertility. I was grateful then and I’m grateful now that there are services in place to help women who aren’t able—for whatever reason—to take on the enormous responsibility of bringing a child into this world.